T-TRIS

1-8 Players, horizontal game
Bastian Schick, for the Atari Lynx
$29.95
Stereo? No

OVERVIEW:

This may qualify as a first in the history of video gaming. Bastian
Schick, an ambitious gamer from Germany, decides to write and sell his own
video game without benefit of any kind of corporate sponsorship. His effort
is T-TRIS, a version of Tetris for the Atari Lynx. If you've been living in a
cave for the last ten years, Tetris is a game where oddly-shaped blocks fall
from the top of the screen as the player rotates and positions them. Solid
rows of blocks vanish to make room for more, and the pieces fall faster as
time progresses. The game ends when there's no more room in the pile.

GAMEPLAY:

There are thousands of copies of Tetris out already, ranging from new
derivatives like COLUMNS and KIRBY'S AVALANCHE to clones on personal computers
and programmable calculators. Given that, the demands on another Tetris
wanna-be are very high; at the very least, a new contender should offer a few
touches to make itself stand out in the overcrowded field.

T-TRIS, unfortunately, doesn't even make an effort. The only game option
is the starting difficulty level. Even simple ideas like a starting pile,
variable pieces, or a time challenge would be welcome, but they're all absent.
Fans of Tetris undoubtedly already have a favorite version, while those who
dislike the game will find nothing to change their minds. The controls are
responsive if unspectacular; one button rotates, another drops, and the joypad
positions the pieces. The Lynx's ability to "flip" the controls is disabled,
which means left-handed gamers are out of luck.

Since T-TRIS is on the Lynx, that means it supports multiple players.
Bastian writes that three-player games have been tested, and up to eight are
possible. But that's still a very small concession; die-hard Tetris players
already have more complex multiplayer games available, such as TETRIS GAIDEN
from Japan. Any way you slice it, the only point in buying T-TRIS is if you
really want to play Tetris on the Lynx.

GRAPHICS/SOUND:

Like the game itself, the graphics in T-TRIS are merely functional. Aside
from individual colors, the blocks are unadorned, and much of the screen is
used for needless displays of the high score and the elapsed time. The gaming
area is a little small, and I would have advised a vertical orientation
instead. The most complex graphics are shown on initial power-up, which
features scrolling rainbow text and a rotating vector cube.

Sounds are even worse. Music is nonexistent, and the few sound effects
consist mostly of digitized samples, blatantly stolen from STAR TREK and other
sources. They don't fit the game well (if at all), and seem to be gratuitous
more than anything else.

SUMMARY:

Bastian Schick deserves some attention for trying to publish a video game
on his own. On the other hand, T-TRIS is a rather weak effort that lacks the
complexity or polish of a professional effort. Though the multiplayer mode is
a nice little touch, in the end this card is worth buying only if you are
desperate for a Lynx version of Tetris.